Try this company: alfred.kayser@sympatico.ca . I purchased my SME IV from them, I know they also offer full SME rebuilds, see below.
Looking For Technicans That Would Rewire A SME V
After a bit of thought and analyzing the current state of the used hi fi market I have come to the conclusion that getting my SVE V updated is going to be my best option for improvement of vinyl playback on my SOTA. The arm board and architecture limit me in tonearm selection, and as I look at the SME it appears to me to still be a solid all around design. After reading a bit it seems that SME most significant update was to fit it with an all silver wire. The serial number indicates mine is from the mid 1990’s, so it may or may not have this done already. It also appears that owners advocate for a single run of wire from cartridge clips to output cable.
I understand SME offers this service and rebuilds the arm. I also know that Alfred at SMEtonearms does so, however he will only rewire with Cardas copper tonearm wire. My arms appearance is in as new condition, and I have zeroed the tracking force and conducted the light puff of breath test and observed the travel though the range, and the light touch of paper to watch the vertical travel, and I see no hesitation in travel. So perhaps the bearings need a cleaning and lubrication, but I see no reason to replace them.
I am looking for a technician or company that will treat my SME V like a princess and perform the rewire. From European owners the wire of choice is Zavfino1877 wire, or perhaps the Audionote UK or Kondo silver wire, although that is reported to be quite a bit stiffer and some have concerns about affecting the travel of the arm.
I know Steve at VAS does a rewire with a Nordost cable that VPI has used in the past.
Other than that I am looking for recommendations on a company to do this. I did contact AudioMajik in the UK but they are full up with Fidelity Research arms to service and have declined. Have searched the web and not seen any recent discussions on this topic either.
Any recommendations?
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Had mine done two years ago by Alfred at smetonearms.com using ceramic bearing and the Cardas Litz wiring. More than happy with results. Thing about the bearings is, what may seem smooth enough to you - isn’t. I replaced the steel BB at the bottom of my Thorens TD125 Mk2 with a ceramic bearing and Thorlon (Torlon?) plastic disc after reading about the bearings Alfred used. There’s all kinds of data online about wear and longevity but what got my attention as applied to this application is how smooth the bearing surfaces are as compared to steel. Smooth means less friction means more freedom of movement in the TA lessening forces on the cantilever/stylus. It seemed like a no brainer. There was a slight rumble I was hearing in the Thorens TT which got better with the Torlon disc, and is inaudible once I replaced the bearing, then I bought a sapphire disc to replace the Torlon disc for good measure. I wanted the best performance possible from the SME V/TT combo. Even got an Ortofon Verismo to hang off it.
Talk to Alfred. He’s a fund of information, been at this for many decades, and ASK him about silver or whatever your choice is. And yes, it’s a continuous run from cartridge clips to RCA jacks. He claims - IIRC - a 3 or 6 dB gain by removing contacts and using better wire than factory (mine was older than yours by several years). doesn’t hurt to ask. |
It would help if the OP was given a guestimate of the time the Tonearm was with the service doing the work. A very expensive to replace Tonearm out in the world of the Cottage Industries can be a worrying experience, make that period extend to 12-24 weeks and the concerns will be quite high about receiving that arm back. |
Steve at VAS can turn around a pickup arm rewire in two weeks or less. |
I inquired Steve to rewire my Mico MA-505L and I proposed the 1877 silver litz, but he declined as the material is apparently too much of a PITA to work with. I was also entertaining doing a full continuous run on the arm, but he only uses Mogami from where the DIN would be to RCA's. Nothing wrong with Mogami of course, but was hoping he had more exotic offerings hehe. I do wonder if Tim Corn aka AudioRanch is still willing to rewire arms |
@groovey I am in the US. I will reach out to them, thanks for the recommendation. |
I owned an SME V since 1990. I had it rewired by Alfred in 2013 and the work was satisfactory. FWIW I did ask him to do some other work but not sure anything was done. In 2019, prior to selling the arm I had Gregory Metz clean and adjust the arm. This time the work was actually done. Metz is ClassicThorens and based in TN. I used the SME/SOTA combo for 30 years with great satisfaction although the SME was replaced by a AMG 9w2 arm which for me was much better. Good luck on your upgrade. |
